CIAL Chile employees stand in front of a line of defrosters from GEA.
GEA knows there's a better way to defrost food that saves time, improves yield, enhances product quality, is more hygienic and, importantly, is more sustainable. Cold steam defrosting been around since the early 1990s, and it’s already accepted as a trusted technology of many food processing companies, including CIAL, the leading manufacturer of fine cured meat products in Chile.
High efficiency, quality and sustainability at CIAL in Chile
In an online poll conducted by GEA during a recent webinar, 53 percent of participants confirmed that they were defrosting frozen meat using ambient temperature before processing. GEA believes there is a much better way that saves time, improves yield, enhances product quality, is more hygienic and, importantly, is more sustainable.
The process is cold steam defrosting. The concept has been around since the early 1990s, and it’s already accepted as a trusted technology of many food processing companies. One such company is CIAL, the leading manufacturer of fine cured meat products in Chile.
CIAL uses GEA’s patented defrosting technology ColdSteam T to contribute to its productivity and sustainability goals. Ultimately, this helps CIAL satisfy the commercial needs of its clients and the nutritional requirements and taste preferences of demanding consumers worldwide. For over 50 years, CIAL has supplied its high-quality products, including ham, poultry and sausage for export and to Chile’s 20 million people.
The principle behind ColdSteam T is simple: To defrost a product, energy must transfer to de-crystalize foods. An efficient way of defrosting is with steam, but steam at 100°C or more would scald the product, causing it to start cooking. However, in a sealed tumbler with a 95 percent vacuum, and steam is produced at just 33°C. The product defrosts quickly with no chance of scalding. The tumbling action from the rotating drum also retains meat juices that would otherwise become drip losses. Thus, yield is improved, and the quality of the product is better. Most importantly, the whole process can be completed hygienically in around 6 to 8 hours rather than 16 to 48 hours for ambient defrosting.
At CIAL in Chile, great meat products start with a turn in one of GEA's advanced defrosters.
CIAL has embraced the technology. During a plant expansion program in 2023, it increased its GEA ColdSteam T tumblers from 11 to 14. The reasons are clear to see:
- The process is faster than ambient or water defrosting.
- It eliminates drip losses, so no valuable animal protein is wasted.
- It significantly reduces water consumption.
- It prevents the potential for scorching, associated with defrosting in microwaves.
- It significantly reduces handling.
- It’s much more hygienic, as there is little opportunity for microbiological growth.
- The process is accurately repeatable for better quality control.
Sustainability
The ColdSteam T helps to improve efficiency at CIAL. It also helps protect the environment by being a major contributor to the sustainability of the entire process. There’s less energy consumed, less water used and a much-reduced waste disposal requirement because there’s no need to wash down the area after defrosting. It’s a process that uses resources smartly and efficiently.
A great deal of attention goes into making the perfect cured meat product to ensure quality that families trust.
GEA downstream
CIAL also uses a GEA injection process to marinate products and a GEA tenderizer downstream as part of ham manufacture. A previous injector was capable of processing 1,500 to 2,000 kilograms per hour. With the new GEA injection line, Contreras estimates between 3,000 to 3,500 kilograms per hour is processed. “It occupies the same physical space and allows us to recover the brine,” he says. “We did not have this recirculation on our previous machine.”The plant also uses ham slicers, thermo-packaging machines and a burger production line within the plant, all from GEA. “GEA provides us with top-notch equipment that is highly efficient, easy to operate with a user-friendly interface, easy to clean and is backed by strong technical support,” explains Contreras. “The equipment is compact and has enabled us to increase our productivity. It operates consistently, without interruptions.”
GEA support for an even better future
Of course, no manufacturing process engineer can be content with the present; they must always maintain a commercial edge and to keep up with changing tastes. GEA has been able to use its extensive experience to help CIAL protect its future. It uses that know-how to work with customers, such as CIAL, to continually improve processes for greater efficiency, quality and sustainability. Contreras values this relationship with GEA highly. “It has been a good collaboration,” he says. “As we work to capture markets for higher-end products, such as premium hams, the GEA technology and support is precisely what we need to make progress in the right direction. We will be buying more.”
CIAL's experts turn to GEA not only for great machines to turn fresh meats into fine cured products but also for ideas and collaboration.
The CIAL perspective
Gonzalo Contreras, assistant manager of the ham plant at CIAL, is responsible for the manufacturing process from the receipt of raw materials through to the finished product. He can attest that the GEA technology provides the quality its customers demand and the efficiency it needs to drive its commercial success. “We worked closely with GEA to make sure that production didn’t stop during the expansion,” he says. “The defrosters allow us to purchase frozen meat from anywhere in the world. Without the defrosting facility we would be limited to buying fresh meat locally. This enables us to have better prices and a longer shelf life.“Furthermore, it prevents us from experiencing fluctuations related to specific issues, such as avian flu or swine flu, because we have already purchased the meat long before these issues arose,” he continues. “It also enables us to manage our stocks as we wish and defrost the meat at a time that suits us best.”
Contreras adds that being able to buy meat on the spot market worldwide has been a significant factor in CIAL’s success.
Contreras also has the best possible incentive for ensuring the quality of everything that leaves the CIAL plant: “My whole family consumes these products,” he says. “We work hard to continually improve because we are the end users ourselves.”
Everyone wins
The 14 GEA ColdSteam T tumblers at CIAL represent the technology on which all other processes in the plant rely. They prepare the raw material, which can be almost any meat product such as bone-in or filleted poultry, pork spare ribs or beef steak, quickly, efficiently and safely for all the downstream operations. The ability to defrost product in a few hours rather than one or two days massively enhances the efficiency and flexibility of the whole plant. Retaining the drip loss within the meat helps product quality and yield – nothing is lost. Power consumption is reduced. The defrosting area no longer needs to be washed-down, with its environmental consequences. Defrosting in a closed space, under vacuum, prevents biological contamination of the product and the surrounding area.The technology has been a great success at CIAL. With over 300 units in operation worldwide, the GEA ColdSteam T makes a significant contribution, not only to commercial productivity but also to the environment.
